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Tag: Action

Imagine a sea of smiling, laughing children…

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Imagine a sea of smiling, laughing children barreling towards you as you hear the ring of the school bell echo across the courtyard. “Back to class guys!”, you shuttle them along and into line. Today we were invited by the Laureus Project to visit the Welcome Primary School for their school day. It was a day of play, games, sport, thoughtful reflection and deep conversations. I think Sophia and I speak for all of the other Young Explorers, even the ones originally from or currently residing in South Africa, that this was one of the most educational school days we have ever had in our lives. The insights that we garnered from talking with the first to sixth graders about their favorite hobbies, difficult subjects in school, and why their father was never home, were profound and perspective-shifting.

Thanks to the hard work and organization of the Laureus Project, the children spend a large part of their free time exercising. You would be impressed by the diversity of activities! We joined in for the first part of the day in skipping rope, playing football (I was bested by speedy children half my size), cricket and jumping/running/skipping/clapping games of all kinds. ‘SPORT FOR GOOD’ were the words on the T-shirts of the Laureus participants. We could witness first hand how sport indeed can change people’s lives, bring them together and build up their confidence.

We broke up into smaller groups with a few Young Explorers for a group of children and discussed topics such as what they think happens to the plastic bag of chips they threw away, are they afraid of sharks and what does a Russian polar bear look like. The second half of the day was spent planting trees in the backyard field of the school. We used the opportunity to discuss why deforestation is an issue and how it affects our entire biome and the negative effects trickle down to affect the ocean environment. The day finished up by visiting an after school program for the kids, where coaches teach them how to box, play basketball and skip rope. Full of new experiences and reflections, we set off home while discussing the enriching day we had. We were all very impressed with the Laureus project, their dedicated team leaders and the huge difference that one can make locally, if they put their heart into something they believe in.

Poem: A Shark Date

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
Setting sail for Robben Island!

The sun began peeking up through the sky,

We looked back at the table and bade it goodbye.

Within the sails the southern wind played,

As we headed for Robben Island where Mandela stayed.

 

Onto our lines we hooked on our bait,

With the seven gill sharks we made a date.

They fell for our charm and devilish good looks,

Until we had their data signed in our books

 

Into their abdomen we inserted a tag,

To track every place their tails would wag.

The date was short it was time to go,

With a push and a shove we said later bro.

 

No time to be sad no time to despair,

Because date number two was already there.

We repeated the process and by the end of the day,

We had lots of sharks being tagged on their way.

 

The cherry on top of Tim’s birthday cake,

Was seeing dolphins and whales in the boat’s wake.

In wonder we watched as the sun receded,

Content and happy with expectations exceeded.

 

Lani van Niekerk & Shruthi Vijayakumar

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
Sailing is hard work!

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
Arriving at the anchoring spot next to Robben Island.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
Putting bait on the line to attract broadnose seven gill sharks.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
Our first catch! A male broadnose sevengill shark that is 1.9 metres in length.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
The shark is brought on board in order to complete the tagging procedure. In order to keep the shark in good shape we keep water running through its mouth and over the gills so that the shark can continue breathing.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
This species of shark has seven gills, whereas most species only have five gills.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
The shark is held down to prevent it from thrashing and causing injuries. We then measure its length and girth.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
A small incision is made in the shark’s abdomen. An audio tag is placed under the skin in order to track the shark’s movements. These tags communicate with receivers that are on the ocean floor. The receivers are retrieved and the data gets downloaded and used to analyse behavioural patterns.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
The last step is to gently remove the hook from the shark’s mouth.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
The shark is lowered back into the water in a hammock. It is important to ensure that the shark is in a good enough shape to swim away by itself. The tagging process is then completed.

 

Shark project in Cape Town, South Africa  with Alison and her team from shark spotters on board of Pangaea with Mike Horn and Young Explores.
What a beautiful place to be anchored for the night!

Let’s Talk About… Sharks

sharks

With many of the world’s shark and ray populations declining, there is a growing need for greater research to inform conservation management. Sharks and rays face a variety of threats, most notably from fishing, habitat degradation, pollution and climate change.

A change in public perception, from one where it is believed that we need to protect humans from sharks to one where we understand the necessity to protect sharks from humans needs to occur.

The changing public perception of sharks and rays has increased awareness of the risks faced by this group, adding to calls for better management.

As part of the Shark Project, we aim to raise awareness about sharks and reach out to the public. We want you to engage with the topic, hope to challenge the stereotypes and help you make you form your own opinion about the importance of sharks in our ecosystems.

Your voice does matter. Your conversations help shape people’s beliefs.

Let’s not be silent.

– Zofia Drapella